The couple, who moved to Royal Oak following college graduation, kept up with their passion for hitting the slopes together by traveling north whenever they could get away. One spot in particular came to hold a special place in their hearts: Boyne Mountain. And when it came time to select a spot to hold their wedding, they didn’t have to think twice. “We spend a lot of time going to Boyne, in all seasons, so it was a natural selection for us,” she says. “We might live in metro Detroit, but our hearts are always in Northern Michigan.”

With the help of her lifelong friend Brie Kear, the wedding sales manager for Boyne, Julia Marie began planning her wedding. One key point of assistance: Brie helped the couple decide precisely where, within the expansive Boyne campus, they would hold their celebration. They decided on Deer Lake, a spot they found “encompasses all the parts of Northern Michigan that we love,” says Julia Marie. Located on the backside of Boyne Mountain, this small, private lake offered the right measure of intimacy while offering a pretty lawn for tents and tables.

With more than 75 percent of their 115 guests coming from out of town, “the lodging opportunities at Boyne were a big deal for us,” the bride says. The hotels and condos made it easy for guests to stay the weekend, so family and friends had a fun time at Boyne. (Jason’s 70-year-old uncle did the zip line!)

BLOOM Floral Design’s lush touch on the bride and groom’s chairs.

“Enchanting was a word I used a lot,” Julia Marie says of her wedding. “I wanted a lot of different lighting elements, a lot of candles, drop lighting, traditional white lights in tents.” When the special moment came, Julia Marie’s twin brother, Roscoe, walked her down the grassy aisle to an altar hewn from saplings and decorated in flowers. And then it was on to party the night away in a tented reception that sparkled with candles and lights, on the banks of beautiful Deer Lake.

MyNorth.com is the online home of Traverse, Northern Michigan’s Magazine, the flagship publication of MyNorth Media, a Traverse City, Michigan company dedicated to sharing stories and photos about vacations, restaurants, wineries, the outdoors and more from Traverse City to Sleeping Bear Dunes and up to Mackinac Island.